BUS301: Human Resource Management

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Unit 7: Safety, Health, and Wellness

From the most basic level, employers should send their employees home in the same manner in which they arrived. The U.S. Congress considered the concept of workplace safety so important that they created a special department, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), to administer the safety and well-being of employees in the workplace. Every workplace environment must comply with OSHA regulations. Employers should also consider the health and wellness of their human capital: healthy employees boost workplace performance and productivity, take fewer sick day benefits, and build stronger, more long-lasting relationships with their employers. When an employee or potential employee sees that their employer is concerned about their personal well-being, they are more likely to remain a part of that organization.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 6 hours.

Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

identify and apply the concepts associated with employee safety and health in support of effectively managing human capital;

identify key laws and legislation with regard to safety and health that shape how human capital decisions should be made; and

describe the purpose of wellness programs within today’s organizations.

Read this report, which takes a comprehensive look at the act that governs the safety of human capital in the workplace. There is a lot of information on OSHA's website, and a great deal of it is categorized by industry. Every organization should be aware of the specific information associated with its industry and should have a general understanding of OSHA and its standards. You are strongly encouraged to browse OSHA's website to enhance your understanding of what they require of an employer.

This chapter discusses the importance of creating an organizational culture built around safety and health. The chapter also discusses the health hazards at work including stress, substance abuse, and workplace violence. Applicable laws are also detailed in length. Lastly, the chapter addresses the rise of Employee Assistance Programs to promote safety, health, and wellness.